Mild Cognitive Impairment

Some people with mild Alzheimer's may be reclassified as having a less serious brain disease called mild cognitive impairment, according to a new analysis of the evolving terminology. Last year, a work group convened by the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Assn., issued revised criteria for diagnosing mild cognitive impairment. According to this new definition, people with mild cognitive impairment still have "functional independence" and no dementia. However, a researcher at Washington University in St. Louis sought to evaluate the impact of the revised criteria.

Elderly people who suffer from a marked decline in memory function that falls short of dementia are more than twice as likely to die within five years than are those with normal cognition, researchers told the Alzheimer's Assn. International Conference meeting this week in Vancouver, Canada. The latest study focuses on people older than 70 years of age who have "mild cognitive impairment" -- a condition in which mental decline is greater than is considered normal but does not satisfy a definition of Alzheimer's disease.

No one wants to hear that he or she has Alzheimer's disease. But if the beta-amyloid plaques that are the disorder's key physical hallmark could be detected before memory loss and cognitive troubles were evident to all, would you want to know? And since no treatment currently works to stem the inexorable progress ofAlzheimer's, who would pay for a costly test to detect it early -- and why? Those questions are no longer hypothetical. Last week, the FDA approved an agent called Florbetapir F 18 injection (to be marketed as Amyvid)

No one wants to hear that he or she has Alzheimer's disease. But if the beta-amyloid plaques that are the disorder's key physical hallmark could be detected before memory loss and cognitive troubles were evident to all, would you want to know? And since no treatment currently works to stem the inexorable progress ofAlzheimer's, who would pay for a costly test to detect it early -- and why? Those questions are no longer hypothetical. Last week, the FDA approved an agent called Florbetapir F 18 injection (to be marketed as Amyvid)

A study suggests that older men may be more vulnerable to developing mild cognitive impairment and memory loss compared with women. Researchers studied a group of 1,450 men and women age 70 to 89 who, at the start of the study, had no signs of cognitive problems. They underwent neurological evaluations at the beginning of the study and at 15-month intervals after that for an average 3.4 years. By the end of the study, 296 people had developed mild cognitive impairment. The condition increased with age and was seen more among men than women, except for those 85 to 89 years of age. Those with higher education levels or who were married had lower frequency of mild cognitive impairment.

Elderly people who suffer from a marked decline in memory function that falls short of dementia are more than twice as likely to die within five years than are those with normal cognition, researchers told the Alzheimer's Assn. International Conference meeting this week in Vancouver, Canada. The latest study focuses on people older than 70 years of age who have "mild cognitive impairment" -- a condition in which mental decline is greater than is considered normal but does not satisfy a definition of Alzheimer's disease.

Diagnosing Alzheimer's disease will one day be accomplished with biological markers, such as tests of blood or spinal fluid. Already several biomarker tests are in development. But a new study shows that, for now, the old-fashioned cognitive tests using pen and paper are the most accurate. Researchers looked at 116 people with mild cognitive impairment who developed Alzheimer's disease in two years, 204 people with mild cognitive impairment that did not develop the disease and 197 cognitively healthy people.

Although some memory loss is associated with normal aging, about 22% of Americans 75 and older suffer from a condition called mild cognitive impairment, which typically goes beyond memory loss to impair the ability to speak, think and pay attention. That percentage rises to 30% by age 85. In pinpointing for the first time how often this sometimes subtle and overlooked condition occurs in a typical population of older U.S.

High doses of B vitamins can reduce shrinkage of the brain that is frequently a precursor of Alzheimer's disease, British researchers reported Wednesday. In the best circumstances, the supplements reduced shrinkage by as much as 50%, and researchers hope that this may mean that the vitamins can delay the onset of Alzheimer's. A longer trial is now being planned to determine if that is the case. The results are all the more remarkable because of the widely publicized failures of many experimental Alzheimer's treatments.

It may soon be possible to obtain a highly accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease by analyzing a sample of spinal fluid. A study released Monday found that a constellation of three substances in the cerebrospinal fluid was present in 90% of people who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The test also showed the same markers were found in 72% of people with mild cognitive impairment, considered an early stage of the disease, and in one-third of adults who had no cognitive problems.

Some people with mild Alzheimer's may be reclassified as having a less serious brain disease called mild cognitive impairment, according to a new analysis of the evolving terminology. Last year, a work group convened by the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Assn., issued revised criteria for diagnosing mild cognitive impairment. According to this new definition, people with mild cognitive impairment still have "functional independence" and no dementia. However, a researcher at Washington University in St. Louis sought to evaluate the impact of the revised criteria.

A study suggests that older men may be more vulnerable to developing mild cognitive impairment and memory loss compared with women. Researchers studied a group of 1,450 men and women age 70 to 89 who, at the start of the study, had no signs of cognitive problems. They underwent neurological evaluations at the beginning of the study and at 15-month intervals after that for an average 3.4 years. By the end of the study, 296 people had developed mild cognitive impairment. The condition increased with age and was seen more among men than women, except for those 85 to 89 years of age. Those with higher education levels or who were married had lower frequency of mild cognitive impairment.

Exergames -- exercise combined with virtual reality -- might give a cognitive boost to older people more than regular workouts, researchers have found. A study published in the February issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine focused on 79 men and women ages 58 to 99 who did three months of regular exercise on a stationary bicycle or three months of exergaming on cybercycles. The cybercycles had a virtual reality display that let riders take part in 3-D tours and compete against a ghost rider avatar.

Diagnosing Alzheimer's disease will one day be accomplished with biological markers, such as tests of blood or spinal fluid. Already several biomarker tests are in development. But a new study shows that, for now, the old-fashioned cognitive tests using pen and paper are the most accurate. Researchers looked at 116 people with mild cognitive impairment who developed Alzheimer's disease in two years, 204 people with mild cognitive impairment that did not develop the disease and 197 cognitively healthy people.

This post has been corrected. See the note at the bottom for details. A series of at least six concussions incurred by Terry Bradshaw while he was the Super Bowl-winning quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers are beginning to interfere with his ability to carry out his current duties as a football analyst for Fox Sports, the ex-player said this week in a blog. Bradshaw said he is suffering from deficits in short-term memory and impairments in his hand-eye coordination. He is being treated at the Amen Clinic in Newport Beach, but experts fear that the best he can hope for is a slowing of the progression of the disorder rather than an improvement in function.

High doses of B vitamins can reduce shrinkage of the brain that is frequently a precursor of Alzheimer's disease, British researchers reported Wednesday. In the best circumstances, the supplements reduced shrinkage by as much as 50%, and researchers hope that this may mean that the vitamins can delay the onset of Alzheimer's. A longer trial is now being planned to determine if that is the case. The results are all the more remarkable because of the widely publicized failures of many experimental Alzheimer's treatments.

Medical researchers have defined a condition that may be a precursor to Alzheimer's disease, prompting the launch of a nationwide effort to study possible preventive treatments, including having patients take Vitamin E. Those who suffer from the condition, called mild cognitive impairment, experience greater than expected memory loss for their age but do not suffer the confusion and disorientation associated with Alzheimer's, researchers said in a study released Monday by the Mayo Clinic.

The holy grail in neurology research is to find the agent -- a drug, nutritional ingredient, a habit or lifestyle -- that will reliably protect the brain against a wide range of insults that lie in wait as we age: strokes, traumatic brain injury or neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or Lou Gehrig's disease. The quest for such " neuro-protection " has left a littered trail of failures. But scientists keep hunting, because they suspect that there must be some common mechanism at work in all these brain conditions.

The holy grail in neurology research is to find the agent -- a drug, nutritional ingredient, a habit or lifestyle -- that will reliably protect the brain against a wide range of insults that lie in wait as we age: strokes, traumatic brain injury or neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or Lou Gehrig's disease. The quest for such " neuro-protection " has left a littered trail of failures. But scientists keep hunting, because they suspect that there must be some common mechanism at work in all these brain conditions.

It may soon be possible to obtain a highly accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease by analyzing a sample of spinal fluid. A study released Monday found that a constellation of three substances in the cerebrospinal fluid was present in 90% of people who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The test also showed the same markers were found in 72% of people with mild cognitive impairment, considered an early stage of the disease, and in one-third of adults who had no cognitive problems.